WINE WISDOM: It's time to start collecting wine

Wednesday

Mar 15, 2017 at 6:57 PMMar 15, 2017 at 6:57 PM

By Mark P. Vincent

With more Americans consuming wine on a regular basis, usually defined as one or more times per week, we’re clearly becoming a nation of wine lovers. For folks who enjoy wine, I recommend they consider creating a small collection of wines. Here’s why and how.

Oh, sure. You’re of modest means and here I go suggesting you build an expensive wine cellar and collect hundreds of bottles of expensive wines. If you’re thinking I am suggesting that, you can chill out like a cool bottle of a restaurant white, right now.

Having a wine collection doesn’t mean you have to invest in an elaborate cellar, unless you intend to start collecting Chateau Lafite Rothschild or other first growths from France you’ll age for decades. While you can do that, I suggest a more humble approach.

A wine collection can be a small number of bottles, say 10 to 15, or a modest 20 to 50 bottles or less. It doesn’t have to be a huge number of bottles, although I warn you: once you start to collect a few bottles, your wine hoard will grow over time, no doubt. Nor does your wine stash have to be of outrageously-expensive collectibles.

As for building an elaborate cellar, that’s not necessary and might not be that expensive, even if you elected to create one. For most folks, a cool, dark spot in the cellar will do fine. Even a small space in a closet that stays dark and cool, if you don’t have a basement, can work OK for a small assortment of wines. Small wine fridges can cost less than $100.

However, let’s back up a bit and explore several good reasons why you might want to begin creating a small, wine collection.

First, there are a number of wines that really require a bit of time, or even a long time, to show their best. Take Italy’s Barolo’s, for instance. Known as the King of Wines and the Wine of Kings, traditional-style Barolos usually won’t be at their peak for 12 to 15 years or more. In fact, they’re not ready to drink just a few years after the grape harvest and winemaking; they demand time to mature and come into their own. Even more modern-style Barolo’s, drinkable much sooner, still benefit from a few years of maturing. Why?

As a wine ages, all of its elements - its acidity, alcohol, fruit, and tannin - integrate and come together into a cohesive and delightful beverage of astonishing refinement and elegance.

This is true of both expensive wines, such as Barolo and expensive Bordeaux, as well as for the typical, and far more modest, wines everyone usually purchases.

Think of it this way. Who hasn’t experienced a wine poured into a glass that begins to taste better after a few minutes exposure to air? When a wine is in a bottle with a cork, it is undergoing that same transformation, but at a far, far slower pace over months or years, since the cork only allows a minute fraction of air into the bottle. Over time, the wine matures and develops into a work of liquid art.

From my experience, despite that fact that wine sellers tell you “drink it now … and come buy another bottle tomorrow,” most wines benefit from a little bit of time, ranging from a few months to a few years, depending on how long the bottle has been sitting in the warehouse or retail store.

I love Champagne, but find that most bottles I buy need to sit 18 to 24 months, particularly for the big volume sellers. An exception, Champagne Taittinger ($50), usually aged for a minimum of four years or more prior to release, is always ready to drink immediately. You have to ask, “why does the winery incur the significant expense of that aging?” It’s because they know the wine will show its best after that time. This principle is true of most wines.

Owning a small wine collection also enhances spontaneity. Having a romantic evening or having some friends unexpectedly stay for dinner, you can bring out a delicious wine or two, making it a perfect night. Enjoy.

Mark P. Vincent is a Worcester resident who has a passion for wine. Contact him at winewisdom@yahoo.com.